so long sweet summer.

i am almost positive that summer of 2014 will go down as my favorite summer.

 (that's why this blog post is so long)

now i'm not saying that everything else is down hill from here, i just think that this will be one that i will always remember.

with this summer ending, my sophomore year of college is also coming to a close. i am officially a junior. gross. it is strange to think i will be starting my third fall at byu-i in a couple months. i am nervous / excited to continue my major in communication. i'm ready to move forward in my college career.

favorite things about summer:
-swimsuits-
at least once a week we would do something in the water and i loved it. between going to the sandbar, sneaking into jacuzzis, paddleboarding, rafting, rexy rapids, or late night bridge jumping. we swam ALOT.

-fireworks-
i saw two firework shows this year. driggs & idaho falls. both were so amazing. i am just obsessed with fire, so seeing these two shows were the highlights of my summer. (and at those shows i met tons of dogs which is always a plus)


-bear lake-
in june curtis & i spent a weekend in bear lake at his friend's cabin with some friends. we had so much fun. we went four wheeling, saw a pickleville play, ate some pretty famous shakes. it's safe to say we didn't want to leave. 

-school-
i am not gonna lie, most of my classes were beyond boring. however i took a religion class that was amazing. my family foundations class taught me so much this semester that i know will stay with me in years to come. shout out to brother bolingbroke. i also found out that i can never write for a newspaper, or be a reporter. it's fine.

-scooterz-
this semester curty had a scooter that he drove around everywhere. and because were like dating, i got to ride on the back of it daily. looking back on this summer it is actually something i'm going to miss. RIP scooter gang.

-sibs-
chandler & i are best friends. emily & tanner are best friends. were all siblings and we love each other. i have been bffs with tanner since the fall, but getting close to another holmes (emily) this semester was a real treat. i like hanging out with other siblings and i just like them. all of the holmes are good people.
can't wait to see yall in CALIFORNIA 2k14.

-rexburg flood -
so there was a flash flood in rexburg and it was insane. curtis, tanner, chan, and i were about 10 minutes away paddle boarding when it happened. where we were it was just raining pretty bad and hailing, but when we got back to rexburg it was under water. i felt so bad for the apartment complexes that had underground rooms that were completely flooded. it was so amazing to see everyone helping each other.
  
-20-
oh, i am officially two decades old. how crazy is that? i was freaked out to turn 20, then excited, then freaked out again. my friends brought me breakfast in bed (mcgriddle). my parents sent me the best package along with 20 individual birthday cards. my siblings all called me. curtis kept surprising me & being great. i skipped class. we had a snazzy conjoined birthday party with ash and jodi.

-2 months-
one of my favorite days of the semester was when curtis & i celebrated being together for two months. i know it sounds lame, but it was so fun. two months does not sound like a long time, but we have seen each other everyday since our first date, so it feels like forever. it has been the best two months with my best friend. i sure do love him.

i don't think i am a fan of change, because every time a semester ends it makes me so sad. even though i am only gone for 7 weeks. school will be harder, people will change, & things will just never be the same as they were. i don't know why this is hard for me to handle but it is. this was such a great semester, but i am looking forward to fall a whole lot too.

i am really happy. like realllly happy. life just got so good & i'm excited to see what the future holds.

 -family home evening-

remember that one time we went to fhe just to throw pudding at each other?

-i can't stop partying, partying-

i'm gonna miss being outside 24/7.

-prom dates-

sneaking into madison high prom is how we became best friends.

 -the big, big bang-

curtis is good at shooting guns, i am not .

-titmes-

just some bff siblings.

 -he made me wear a helmet-

and i felt safer, so it was a win-win.

 -snakebite-

i'm such a poser, because i don't even know how to longboard.

 -i love these people with all my hart-

nothing like some on campus swimmin.

 -selfie-

i found a brick wall & didn't want to miss my opportunity to be basic. 

-shakes & friends-

bear lake didn't have even bears, just shakes.

-first time fourwheeling-

and by the looks of it, curtis had a great time.

 -love these guys-

we lived at the sandbar.

 -we did not chase this waterfall-

sunday adventures with austin & curtis.

-driggs fireworks-

little kids are scared when they see him.

-two decades-

i'm glad i had them by my side when i turned 20.

 -four of a kind-

can it just be fourth of july all the time?

 -rexburg parade-

it only seemed fit that we snuck in via scooter.

-color run-

i think my legs are still yellow from this.

 -two months-

the best time with my favorite person.

 -rexy flood-

kind of preoccupied paddle boarding to even notice.

 -hanging with the heifers-

we will do anything for free food.

-we rafta cuz we hafta-

i cannot wait to room with these girls in the fall.

land of the free.

HBD AMERICA.
 i just love fourth of july.
this was my first independence day in rexburg & i was so excited to spend it with my friends.

morning:
early fourth of july was the annual rexburg parade. it was a pretty cute mix of weirdos on floats & old people with dogs. after a little bit curtis & i decided to sneak in and join in on the fun. so we scootered to the beginning of the parade and rode next to the floats. i felt like miss rexburg when i waved. it was satisfying to say that i have snuck into the famous rexburg parade.

afternoon:
after we got back from the parade we headed to float the river. it was my first time & it was COLD. it was more fun than cold though. it took us a couple hours.

evening:
we got to idaho falls in plenty of time for the second best firework show in america. i have realized this semester that i am pretty obsessed with fireworks. i wish every day was

fourth of july.
it was so much fun to hang out on the grass with friends and enjoy the last couple hours of the fourth.

the day after:
cassann, ash, chan, and i participated in the rexburg color run. we did not actually run, but we power walked and thats all that matters. it was hard to breath and hard to have a bad time.
later that day a bunch of us headed to utah for the rest of the weekend.

it was my favorite fourth of july weekend yet. i love america.

 -rexy parade-

curty and i snuck in with ease.

 -freedom friday-

congrats to chris drake for getting engaged & matching with me.

 -do youtube, cuz wetube-

loved floating down a river with them.

-hashley-

we love sparklers, maybe a little too much.

 -proud to be-
we love the red, white, and blue.

-happy fourth-

curtis was really excited to spend it with me.

 

-color run 5k-

it hurt to breathe and run for that matter.

school's {not} out for summer.

spring is in full swing & i couldn't be h a p p i e r .

this semester is basically half way over and frankly that makes me depressed, because it has been so fun.

S C H O O L
 it is SO hard to go to class when the sun is smiling at you while you are stuck inside listening to a lecture about globalization. i love college but actual college classes are kind of stressful and tiring. it is actually pretty mediocre this semester. i am getting my foundation communication classes out of the way and taking two religions. so i pretty much only enjoy one of my classes, the rest are SUPER boring. my public speaking class has actually been helpful. i am not the best at giving speeches or talks so i have learned a lot. i have already signed up for classes for the fall and it is going to be busy.
i guess when you come to college you actually have to do college.

1 1 1 9
i may be really terrible at math, but i do know that 505 + 614 = 1119.
nauvoo 505 and 614 are my favorite people around.
when tanner and chandler starting dating back in the fall most of us met emily (tanner's sister), but we didnt all hang out until this spring. it is so much fun to have two best friend apartments to hang out with 24/7. we've crashed prom together, had tons of sleepovers, and abused each other both physically and emotionally. i love them all like they were my roommates.

I D A H O
i love springtime in idaho so much. back in south carolina it is always so humid in the summers that it is almost impossible to do anything. the weather is so perfect, i love it. we have been trying to be outside/ get tan as much as possible.
every once in awhile we will be driving and it will just hit me how weird it is that i live in idaho of all places. rexburg is just such a random place, but i am so glad i live here. it has given me an opportunity to meet people from so many different places and experience so many things that i have never done before. i still really hate potatoes, but i definitely dont hate it here.

H O M I E S
i love my friends so much, they are the absolute best. i like to do things and so do they.
we have...
jumped off bridges
shot some guns
had three birthdays
touched some ratchet cows
joined a football team (some in spirit)
had a pudding fight
crashed the madison high prom
failed at laser tag
killed 218's fish, glenn
had sleepovers almost every night
lived at the sandbar
eaten way too many smores
raced scooters
& gone to taco bell

C U R T Y B O T
if yall haven't met curtis spear yet you are seriously missing out. he is one of the funniest, weirdest, most genuine people i have ever met through social media. i don't care if he was weird and followed me on twitter before we even met, because he is just great. seeing him (curtis) makes every day better. and he sends me pictures of puppies all the time and that just makes me really happy and feel good inside. no regrets.

 -willhoes + willbros-

fall 2k13 lives on

-all we do is loose-
i am literally the worst player on this team.

-cinco de friends-

any excuse to wear a fake mustache.

 -hashley-
every blonde needs a brunette best friend.

-a night to remember-

we crashed the locals' prom and they didn't like it.

 -cassanny pays a visit-
we love when she comes for the weekend.

-sand baring-

it's kind of like the beach, but crappier.

 

-clothing swap-
it's a good time when all 11 of us are together & even better when we are wearing each other's clothes.

 -sharks & gameboys-
in love with my polariods.

-i'm so sick of them-

we eat at the hospital and have no regrets.

-follow the leader-

this water is frigid and this picture wasn't even worth it.

-eat mor chikin-
cows are so funny and i don't know why.

-guns & america-

curtis is so good at shooting guns and it just gives me bruises.

i hate it here.

I HAVE FINALLY M A D E  I T
i am living in an apartment with my 4 best friends (and chandler) ,no randoms. things in nauvoo 505 get kind of crazy, but only in the best kind of way. i love love love living with these hoodlums and the adventures we have.
i met these girls my first semester at byu idaho in fall of 2012 and we have been inseparable since. i cannot imagine my college experience without these fools.

haley: you are the best roommate even though you snore super loud and are mexican. youre the funniest person i know.
taylor: living without you for 9 months should have been a crime. how did i even do it? i love your glasses and shared hatred for class. i love you long time.
ashley: you made me love taco bell and for that i will be forever grateful. i'm so happy we randomly decided to room together a year ago. you look pretty denise.
kiersty: my besty in rexy. we have been through so much together it's ridiculous (rc, jamba boner, etc) i need you in my life for always!
chan: youre okay. 

 -do you wanna do something fun?-

we are such stereotypical white girls.

 -505-

snapbacks and friends too.

party across the us of a.

i have officially driven from south carolina to idaho 3 times. that is crazy.
my parents love to roadtrip and wanted to visit my siblings in utah, so we made the 2,200 mile journey a week before my spring semester started.
     the first night we stayed in rapid city, iowa. i will admit i am not a huge fan of that place.
     the second night we made it to aurora, colorado. i freaking love colorado so much. if i had to leave the      south i would live there for sure.
     then we made it to provo, utah to visit with family and friends for a few days. provo is also one of my favorite places.
    
it was a great feeling to make it to rexburg after 30 + hours of being in a car with my parents. i almost died, jk love ya mom and dad! but seriously, i hope i never have to do that again.

 -iowont-

this place was the literal worst.

 

-colorful colorado-

if you can't tell, we love it here.

-auntie hanny-

these little girls like me on occasion.

blame it on the hydrocodon.

well world, i have made it almost three full months living with my parents at home.
i experienced this last year and absolutely hated it, so this go round i didn't have high hopes for enjoying my stay. plot twist: i have loved being home for winter. although it is boring sometimes and i miss my friends. it has been so good for me to be in south carolina with my parents, working, and relaxing.

back to the missing my friends part> my life consents of group texts, facetime dates, and daily phone calls. being home is bliss, but not having people to hang out with every day will start to ware on your soul. i guess i don't really like to be alone...like every once in awhile is fine, but i need human interaction in my life to live. i have alittle more than three weeks before i get to be reunited with my friends and i could not be more happy. a couple months ago i also found out that one of my best friends taylor serge will be living with me, so yeah you could say i'm over the moon excited. this will be my first semester with no randoms, just my 5 favorite people. spring semester will be superb for sure.
also shout out to the missionaries> more specifically the sisters in my ward. every time i come home from a break from college i always hang out with the sisters. i don't know why but we always get the cutest, funniest ones around. i think i like talking to them so much, because they remind me of all my sister missionary friends out in the field. i just can't describe how much love i have for those ladies.

 i have not had the best of times this past week due to getting my wisdom teeth out. i have never given birth to anything, but i REALLY hope it doesn't hurt as much as this.   
wednesday morning, chan and i arrived at the sketchy (mental hospital) looking oral surgery office at 7:30. i was too tired to be nervous and was excited to experience laughing gas for the first time. spoiler alert-laughing gas does not make you laugh. anyway, i was prepped and "relaxed" when dr. lemons came in to stick me with an IV and get the party started. he made a big deal that he was sticking a needle in me like i was going to scream or something. so then i said something about how i'm tough, because i do plasma all the time and the rest was history. aka a weird dream i had about kim b. clark.
i vaguely remember waking up in a dentist chair whispering the lyrics to wrecking ball and trying to crawl on the ground. my sister was left in a dark room unattended while she stuck her hands her bloody mouth and moaned. it was a good day for the titus twins.
the ride home was interesting to say the least. between choice words, more miley cyrus, and almost being straggled by a seat belt, we made it home in one piece.
-that day we probs slept like 18-20 hours. [apparently we sat and talked to the sister missionaries for an hour but i do not remember that conversation] 
-the next couple days were slightly painful, but more light headed because of the hydrocodon. we watched alot of tv and ate alot of pb & js.
-friday and saturday were the devil though. my mom (bless her heart) didn't want us to get addicted to the narcotics so she tried to lean us off the medicine. it didn't work so well. it felt like my jaw was the pinata at a mexican fiesta. espantoso.
-now it is sunday and the pain has been manageable so hopefully i will be fully recovered and perfect tomorrow. i'm trying to be optimistic.

side note: i am kind of pissed the tooth fairy didn't visit me. like i needed her now more than ever.

 -my life-

consists of facetime, more specifically with baby ashley.

 -i hate children-

the only time i fell was when these brats pushed me down.

 -it was the best day ever-

went to a pound to potentially adopt a dog. not successful.

 -the cold never bothered me anyway-

i hated when it snowed twice, but i LOVE the movie frozen.

 -byu-ido-

it was extra weird to see one of my childhood friends get married.

 

 -cheers to the new year-

i just love being with morgan and bec.

-deuces good health-

little did we know this would be the high point of the week.